# Nothing Compares (film)

Nothing Compares is a 2022 documentary feature film, directed by Kathryn Ferguson. It looks at the life and legacy of Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, focusing on the years 1987–1993.
The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on 21 January 2022, after which it was acquired by Showtime Documentary Films. The film was theatrically released in the UK and Ireland by Paramount International on 7 October 2022.

## Synopsis

Nothing Compares is the story of Sinéad O'Connor's phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and how her iconoclastic personality resulted in her exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on her prophetic words and deeds from 1987–1993, the film reflects on the legacy of this fearless trailblazer through a contemporary feminist lens.

## Production

The film is a UK and Ireland co-production, produced by Eleanor Emptage and Michael Mallie, and made with support from Field of Vision, Screen Ireland, BFI Doc Society Fund, Northern Ireland Screen and ie:entertainment.

## Release

Nothing Compares had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on 21 January 2022 in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. It toured the festival circuit picking up multiple awards, including Best Documentary Feature at the 2022 Galway Film Fleadh. On 1 February 2022, Showtime Documentary Films announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to Nothing Compares. The film premiered on Showtime on 30 September 2022. It was released in theatres in the UK and Ireland on 7 October 2022.

## Reception
### Critical response

Nothing Compares received positive reviews from film critics in the US, the UK and Ireland. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 99% approval rating based on reviews from 83 critics. The website's critical consensus reads: "A moving look at Sinéad O'Connor's remarkable life and career, Nothing Compares is enriching viewing whether or not you're a fan of her work."
The Guardian's film critic Peter Bradshaw gave it 4/5 stars, describing it as "a bracing guide to a brilliant individual who declined to conform." The Telegraph's Chief Music Critic Neil McCormack gave it 5/5 stars, describing it as "the most potent film about the travails of a woman in the pop industry since Asif Kapadia's 2016 Oscar-winning Amy".

### Accolades

On 4 December 2022, Nothing Compares received two British Independent Film Awards: Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary for Kathryn Ferguson, and Best Documentary. In May 2023, it won the George Morrison Feature Documentary Award at the 19th Irish Film & Television Awards.
| Award | Date of Ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Sundance Film Festival | 30 January 2022 | World Cinema Documentary Competition | Nothing Compares | Nominated |
| Dock of the Bay | 7 May 2022 | Feature Film Audience Prize | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Won |
| Millennium Docs Against Gravity | 19 May 2022 | The Chopin's Nose Award | Kathryn Ferguson | Won |
| Doc Edge Film Festival | 22 June 2022 | Thank You for the Music | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Won |
| Galway Film Fleadh | 10 July 2022 | Best Irish Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Won |
| Docs Ireland | 11 July 2022 | Audience Award - Best Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Won |
| Aegean Film Festival | 16 July 2022 | Audience Award - Best Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Won |
| Jecheon International Music and Film Festival | 16 August 2022 | International Competition | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Nominated |
| Edinburgh International Film Festival | 24 August 2022 | The Powell & Pressburger Award for Best Feature Film | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | 13 November 2022 | Best Archival Documentary | Nothing Compares | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | 13 November 2022 | Best Music Documentary | Nothing Compares | Nominated |
| British Independent Film Awards | 4 December 2022 | Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson | Won |
| British Independent Film Awards | 4 December 2022 | British Independent Film Award for Best Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Won |
| British Independent Film Awards | 4 December 2022 | Best Editing | Mick Mahon | Nominated |
| International Documentary Association Awards | 10 December 2022 | Best Music Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Nominated |
| Cinema Eye Honors | 13 January 2023 | Outstanding Debut | Kathryn Ferguson | Nominated |
| Cinema Eye Honors | 13 January 2023 | Audience Choice Prize | Kathryn Ferguson | Nominated |
| Cinema Eye Honors | 13 January 2023 | The Unforgettables (Non-Competitive Honor) | Sinéad O'Connor | Won |
| Cinema Eye Honors | 13 January 2023 | Outstanding Original Score | Linda Buckley, Irene Buckley | Nominated |
| Girls on Film Awards | 23 February 2023 | Best Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Won |
| British Film Editors Cut Above Awards | 24 February 2023 | Best Edited British Documentary or Non-Fiction Programme | Mick Mahon | Nominated |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | 25 February 2023 | Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures | Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Nominated |
| Irish Film & Television Awards | 7 May 2023 | Best Feature Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Won |
| Irish Film & Television Awards | 7 May 2023 | Best Original Music | Linda Buckley, Irene Buckley | Nominated |
| Irish Film & Television Awards | 7 May 2023 | Best Editing | Mick Mahon | Nominated |
| 44th News and Documentary Emmy Awards | 29 September 2023 | Outstanding Direction: Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson | Nominated |
| 44th News and Documentary Emmy Awards | 29 September 2023 | Outstanding Writing: Documentary | Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie | Nominated |